Scottish Executive

Ambulance Service

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the location was of each aircraft in the air ambulance fleet on 29 and 30 April 2001 and whether it will detail the jobs undertaken by each aircraft on each of these dates, specifying in each case the location of the job, category of patient and type of aircraft used.

Susan Deacon: This is an operational matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service. I have asked Mr Adrian Lucas, the Chief Executive of the service, to look into this matter and to respond direct to you.

Building Control

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many notices were served by local authorities on the owners of buildings under section 11(2) of the Building (Scotland) Act 1959 in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999 and (d) 2000.

Lewis Macdonald: Responsibility for the enforcement of building regulations lies with the local authorities. The information requested is not held centrally.

Enterprise

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many businesses were in operation in Scotland in the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by size and sector, and what each of these figures represents as a percentage of the equivalent UK figures.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The following table shows the number of businesses in Scotland in November 1999, broken down by employee sizeband and sector. The enterprises are allocated to the sizebands on the basis of their total number of employees in the whole of the UK.

  


Industry 
  

Total 
  

1+ employee 
  

0-49 employee 
  

50-249 employee 
  

250+ employee 
  



Agriculture, forestry and fishing 
  

25,915 
  

9,305 
  

25,865 
  

30 
  

15 
  



Mining and quarrying, electricity, gas and water supply 
  

1,800 
  

400 
  

1,670 
  

60 
  

70 
  



Manufacturing 
  

18,400 
  

8,575 
  

17,025 
  

840 
  

535 
  



Construction 
  

43,125 
  

9,355 
  

42,805 
  

190 
  

135 
  



Wholesale, retail and repairs 
  

46,695 
  

23,730 
  

45,550 
  

640 
  

505 
  



Hotels and restaurants 
  

23,555 
  

11,425 
  

23,280 
  

195 
  

80 
  



Transport, storage and communication 
  

20,070 
  

3,810 
  

19,715 
  

200 
  

155 
  



Financial intermediation 
  

5,015 
  

1,430 
  

4,775 
  

80 
  

160 
  



Real estate, renting and business activities 
  

52,290 
  

22,040 
  

51,395 
  

555 
  

340 
  



Education 
  

7,660 
  

1,035 
  

7,510 
  

95 
  

55 
  



Health and social work 
  

19,760 
  

4,800 
  

19,450 
  

245 
  

65 
  



Other community, social and personal services 
  

34,185 
  

10,670 
  

33,995 
  

140 
  

55 
  



Total 
  

299,200 
  

106,570 
  

293,765 
  

3,265 
  

2,170 
  



  Source: Scottish Executive, ONS (IDBR).

  Note: Totals may not equal the sum of the constituent parts due to rounding.

  The following table shows the figures as a percentage of the equivalent UK figures. The percentages are quite high, particularly for the 250+ employee sizeband, due to the proportion of large businesses which operate throughout the UK.

  


Industry 
  

Total 
  

1+ employee 
  

0-49 employee 
  

50-249 employee 
  

250+ employee 
  



Agriculture, forestry and fishing 
  

14% 
  

14% 
  

14% 
  

21% 
  

80% 
  



Mining & quarrying, electricity, gas & water supply 
  

43% 
  

20% 
  

42% 
  

43% 
  

65% 
  



Manufacturing 
  

6% 
  

6% 
  

5% 
  

10% 
  

21% 
  



Construction 
  

6% 
  

7% 
  

6% 
  

15% 
  

47% 
  



Wholesale, retail and repairs 
  

9% 
  

8% 
  

9% 
  

15% 
  

52% 
  



Hotels and restaurants 
  

15% 
  

11% 
  

15% 
  

14% 
  

29% 
  



Transport, storage and communication 
  

9% 
  

7% 
  

9% 
  

17% 
  

38% 
  



Financial intermediation 
  

8% 
  

6% 
  

8% 
  

13% 
  

47% 
  



Real estate, renting and business activities 
  

7% 
  

6% 
  

6% 
  

15% 
  

36% 
  



Education 
  

7% 
  

10% 
  

7% 
  

26% 
  

85% 
  



Health and social work 
  

10% 
  

9% 
  

10% 
  

13% 
  

11% 
  



Other community, social and personal services 
  

9% 
  

11% 
  

9% 
  

14% 
  

24% 
  



Total 
  

8% 
  

8% 
  

8% 
  

14% 
  

32% 
  



  Source: ONS (IDBR).

Enterprise

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current economic value is of the LINK enterprise budget programme; how many jobs have been created as a result of the programme since it started, and how many and what percentage of Scottish businesses are currently involved in the programme.

Ms Wendy Alexander: LINK is the UK Government’s principal mechanism for supporting pre-competitive collaborative research between industry and the science base.

  Seven Government Departments, including the Scottish Executive, and five Research Councils provide up to 50% of the total eligible costs of a LINK project, with the balance provided by the industrial partners. The Government’s spend on LINK projects in 1999-2000 was £38 million, which was more than matched by industry.

  Over the period 1988-2000 some 146 projects have involved Scottish universities, some 10% of the total number of projects. Comprehensive information on company involvement on a territorial basis is not available. Of the industrial partners able to be so recognised, some 8% are identified as based in Scotland.

  Given its remit, LINK has no direct employment focus and no measure is made of jobs created under this initiative.

Enterprise

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had regarding the future development of the Ravenscraig site in Lanarkshire.

Ms Wendy Alexander: During the course of the last year, officials from the Enterprise, Planning Services and Environment Divisions of the Scottish Executive have all met with Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire on various occasions to discuss different aspects of the Ravenscraig redevelopment project.

  These discussions have related to the proposal to establish a public/private joint venture to take the development forward, the planning issues surrounding the project and the translocation of a colony of greater crested newts which were discovered on the site.

  Officials will continue to follow progress closely.

Environment

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate the extent of any cutbacks in local authority "best garden" competitions and any other such initiatives which improve the local environment.

Peter Peacock: Expenditure on such initiatives is a matter for individual local authorities.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the cost of its slaughter policy in relation to foot-and-mouth disease is being met by (a) itself, (b) the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, (c) the European Union and (d) the local councils of Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders.

Ross Finnie: These costs fall to the UK Exchequer. In Scotland, as at 8 May 2001, the cost of compensation for the compulsory slaughter is currently around £170 million. Almost £150 million of this is in Dumfries and Galloway with the rest chiefly being in the Borders. At this stage it is not clear what contribution towards these costs will be forthcoming from the European Union. The costs incurred by Dumfries and Galloway and Borders Councils are being assessed by the councils concerned.

Health

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to bring forward a national strategy for respiratory disease.

Susan Deacon: There are no plans to do so. In common with many other diseases and conditions, respiratory diseases in Scotland are tackled through a range of measures, from prevention through primary and acute to tertiary care. However, we monitor the prevalence and impact of diseases and conditions continuously to help us consider whether further developments in strategies are likely to be needed.

Health

Janis Hughes (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to provide dedicated funding for the treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis sufferers.

Susan Deacon: The Executive has no such plans. Health boards are expected to meet the costs of treatment for almost all conditions from the revenue allocations made available to them by the Executive, which were increased by an average of 6.5% for 2001-02.

Local Government

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking, in partnership with local authorities and private owners where appropriate, to secure cemeteries against vandalism, neglect and environmental destruction.

Peter Peacock: The Executive recognises the distress felt by the families involved when cemeteries are vandalised or neglected and deplores such actions. These matters are, however, the direct responsibility of the local authorities and private owners concerned.

Planning

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to revoke decisions to call in planning applications and notices of intention to develop and whether it will detail each such decision revoked since 1 May 1997.

Lewis Macdonald: There is no specific provision in planning legislation which provides the Scottish Ministers with the power to revoke a direction to call-in a planning application or notice of intention to develop. Accordingly, no such directions have been revoked during the period since May 1997.

  However, in the light of a recently issued court judgment relating to an English planning application (Trustees of the Friends of the Lake District v Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions: 26 March 2001 Ref: CO/4008/2000) it is now recognised that, in certain circumstances, it may be possible to revoke such directions, provided there are compelling and justifiable reasons for doing so.

Rural Development

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to receive applications under the Rural Stewardship Scheme.

Ross Finnie: In advance of the regulations for the scheme coming into operation, any applications received by SERAD Area Offices are being held as an expression of interest in joining the scheme. Once the Regulations come into force, those who have submitted an expression of interest will be asked whether they wish that to be treated as an application to join the scheme and, if so, it will be processed in the normal manner.

Social Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money from Scottish Executive or Scottish Office sources has been committed to the Craigmillar area of Edinburgh in each year from 1997-98 to the present, specifying the recipient organisation in each case.

Jackie Baillie: Information on Executive spending is not generally attributable to specific neighbourhoods, but the available information is as follows:

  Identifiable Scottish Office/Scottish Executive spending in Craigmillar

  


 


1997-98 
  

1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 (plans) 
  



 


£ million 
  



Social Inclusion Partnership Fund 
  

£1.659 
  

£1.645 
  

£1.312 
  

£1.833 
  



CCTV 
  

- 
  

- 
  

£0.040 
  

- 
  



Community Safety 
  

- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

£0.015 
  



New Housing Partnerships Fund 
  

£0.110 
  

£2.445 
  

£3.305 
  

£8.976 
  



  The recipient organisations were as follows:

  City of Edinburgh Council (SIP resources)

  Thistle Foundation Estate (CCTV 1999-2000)

  Magdalene Youth Project (community safety 2000-01)

  City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Homes (NHP resources).

Social Justice

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the registered community council insurance schemes which currently exist, giving the rates paid and the claim excesses operated, broken down by local authority area.

Peter Peacock: This information is not held centrally.

Statistics

Mr Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its Statistics Plan for 2001-02 and whether there has been any progress in relation to other aspects of national statistics in Scotland.

Angus MacKay: I am pleased to announce that we have published the second Scottish Executive Statistics Plan, for 2001-02, for consultation, today. We received a number of useful comments on the first plan, which have influenced the development of our proposals for 2001-02. Executive staff have contributed fully to the development of the first UK National Statistics Work Programme. This includes significant proposals for the development of Scottish Executive statistics, while our own plan gives more details.

  We remain committed to making available high quality statistics which meet the needs of users and support informed decision making.

  Under National Statistics, we have introduced new planning arrangements, in which we actively seek the views of users of statistics including MSPs, on their needs and priorities.

  I have recently proposed to the Statistics Commission that it undertakes a role in relation to the Scottish Executive and Parliament comparable to that which it has for the UK Government. This would strengthen the arrangements for external scrutiny of our statistics.

  Copies of the Scottish Executive Statistics Plan will be available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.